Mayo team for opening round tie of Lidl NFL Division 1 campaign is named
The Mayo team for the opening round tie of the Lidl NFL Division 1 campaign has been named.
Mayo face Meath at James Stephens Park, Ballina, in what will be the first competitive game under new manager Liam McHale, with Saoirse Lally captaining the Green and Red from full-back and veteran star Fiona McHale listed at full-forward.
In 2023, under former manager Michael Moyles, Mayo reached the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final, and will be hoping for another good run this year, starting with Meath in Ballina on Sunday (January 21, 2 p.m.).
Meath, meanwhile, will be aiming to recapture the heady heights of 2021 and 2022, when they captured back to back TG4 All-Ireland senior titles. They also landed the Lidl NFL Division 1 crown in 2022, but they lost their grip on their league and championship crowns last year.
The Royals also have a new manager, Shane McCormack, who, like McHale, will be anxious to make the start to the league a winning one.
There’s plenty of experience in the Meath starting line-up, and on the bench, with the likes of Emma Duggan and former skipper Shauna Ennis to call upon. Former All-Star goalkeeper Monica McGuirk will captain the Meath team for the 2024 season.
The Mayo team to start against Meath is as follows: L. Reid; L. Wallace, S. Lally, E. Reape; K. Sullivan, D. Caldwell, J. Mortimer; A. Geraghty, H. Reape; F. McLaughlin, L. Cafferky, M. Cannon; T. Needham, F. McHale, S. Walsh.
The Meath team for the encounter is: M. McGuirk; K. Newe, A. Sheridan, N. Troy; N. Gallogly, M.K. Lynch, A. Cleary; M. O’Shaughnessy, S. Melia; M. Thynne, E. Moyles, C. Smith; M. Byrne, M. Farrelly, A. Leahy.
Elsewhere, today's clash between Dublin and Kerry in Parnell Park, throwing in at 5.15 p.m., will kick-start Division 1 of the 2024 Lidl National Leagues.
Dublin, the reigning TG4 All-Ireland senior champions, have home advantage for the visit of Kerry, who captured the Lidl NFL Division 1 crown last year. It’s also a repeat of the 2023 TG4 All-Ireland final between the sides.
On Sunday, in addition to the Mayo v Meath encounter, Cork take on Galway and Armagh face Waterford in Division 1, while there is also a full schedule of fixtures in Divisions 2, 3 and 4 this weekend.